Petition started over road condition

Thursday

Apr 18, 2013 at 1:09 PMApr 18, 2013 at 1:16 PM

The recent rain has been serving to drive home a point about the condition of Old Route 66 north of the bridge on Division Street — which has been deteriorating for years. The current condition of the road led a resident to start a petition calling for the city to take action — garnering 339 signatures, which was presented to Pontiac City Council members Monday night.The petition was discussed during public comment, although no one came forward as the author of the missive.It turns out the city has been planning improvements to the road, but work is not scheduled to begin until summer or fall of 2014 or possibly spring of 2015.The petition states, “We are writing in concern of the condition of the stretch of road ‘Old Route 66’ between the bridge at the VFW and the Old Log Cabin. … Nothing has been done to upgrade this road in many years. The road is narrow and there are many potholes along the side. … There is barely enough room when passing another car on the road with a standard size vehicle.“If you pass a truck or a bus on this road, someone invariably is forced off the road. Hitting the potholes and losing control and damage to our cars is a great possibility. We find the condition of this roadway frightening, especially in winter or rainy conditions.”City Engineer Brian Verdun and City Administrator Bob Karls updated the council on plans for the road, which have been in the works for more than a year.“We are planning to use FAU (Federal Aid Urban) funds for this project, which preliminary estimates have at $500,000,” said Karls. “We have been building up FAU credits to have enough to start the project. Last year, Brian petitioned the state for us to use these funds on this stretch of road and that approval was given,” Karls said, adding the Illinois Department of Transportation determines where FAU funds will be used.The project Verdun is looking to undertake includes putting in more storm sewers along that road to ease water ponding after heavy rains. That will help lengthen the life of the road surface, which will be an asphalt overlay with shoulder work.“There are a couple of storm sewers out there, but they are inadequate to the needs,” Karls stated. “This project is not a cure-all, but it should greatly improve the area and the road.”Verdun will be conducting necessary surveys this summer and detailing design improvements this winter. If the state green-lights the project, bids could be taken in early 2014 with work completed later in the year.“It will depend on what projects the state is considering and the availability of funding,” Karls said.